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Ladies and Gentlemen

I feel honoured to have been invited as the main functionary at this prestigious occasion and, at the same time, to observe the presentation of the seven floating trophies for achievements by military units and individuals in the field of environmental performance within the Department of Defence.

Profound changes in national environmental legislative obligations during the past few years have impacted significantly on the Department of Defence, resulting in increased public expectation regarding the handling of environmental impacts within the defence arena.

In order to honour these expectations, as well as to sustain military affordability as demanded by Government, it has become imperative that certain measures be adopted and mechanisms be implemented to ensure sound environmental performance by our department.

I am, therefore, proud to announce the adoption of the First Edition Environmental Implementation Plan for Defence by Government and the subsequent promulgation thereof in the Government Gazette at the end of February this year. This is a major achievement and a milestone in the history of the environmental function in the Department of Defence.

The implementation of the plan ushers in an entirely new frontier in military integrated environmental management, and is considered as the first step in formal self-regulation.

The Environmental Implementation Plan does not unduly restrict the military by making regulatory compliance an unnecessary burden, but opens doors to opportunities of co-operative governance for the environment, thereby saving money, for re-allocation to operational priorities in Defence as well as other national objectives.

Amongst other measures advocated, the plan addresses the development of an Environmental Management System founded on the ISO 14 000 International Standard for Environmental Management.

At the onset of 2001, the Environmental Review Forum was established to develop and implement an Environmental Management System for the department by the year 2004 and thereby ensure a structured system of incorporating environmental considerations into the core business of Defence.

This trend of increased responsibility in the military sector to manage the impacts of their primary activities on the environment in a sustainable manner, through the establishment of a formalised Environmental Management System, is observed in various defence forces world-wide.

Some countries have already progressed far with the implementation of an Environmental Management System, for example the United Kingdom, while some of the eastern European countries are only starting to think about it.

This approach of Military Integrated Environmental Management has already earned the South African Department of Defence the reputation as one of the leading defence forces to incorporate environmental considerations into its everyday activities.

The implementation of these measures will further ensure the enhancement of the execution of the environmental function to the benefit of the department as an organ of state as well as all peoples of South Africa.

This award ceremony visibly recognises achievements by military bases, units and individuals regarding their environmental performance. Furthermore, it serves as an example to civil society as well as other organs of state as to the earnest in which the Department of Defence perceives its role as custodian of our national heritage.

The South African National Parks Floating Trophy for the year 2000 is awarded to Test Flight and Development Centre for achieving the highest level of Military Integrated Environmental Management in the Department of Defence.

6 South African Infantry Battalion in Grahamstown has performed exceptionally by winning the Ecological Management as well as the Base Environmental categories and thereby repeating the environmental successes achieved during 1987. Well done to this unit!

General Support Base Oudtshoorn has excelled by being awarded the Professor Kristo Pienaar Floating Trophy for Environmental Education and Training, whilst being appointed runners-up in two other competitions.

The Conservamus Floating Trophy for Environmental Services was awarded to the Strategic Environmental Working Group, being a working group of the department for developing and promulgating the Environmental Implementation Plan for Defence as required by national environmental legislation.

For the efficient use of water at their unit, the South African Naval College is, for the first time, awarded the Aquator Award for accomplishing a saving of 9% of this scarce natural resource. Similarly, 121 South African Infantry Battalion achieved a substantial saving in the use of electricity and diesel at the unit, which earned them the Elektrowise Award for Energy Efficiency.

On behalf of the Minister of Defence, I wish to congratulate the winners on their respective achievements.

It is my wish that you will build on these achievements to the benefit of your units and to that of the department.

Allow me to make special mention of the runners-up, Air Force Base Waterkloof and Air Force Base Hoedspruit, which made excellent contributions to the management of our natural and built-up environment as well as the education of their personnel.

Our hosts today, Air Force Base Waterkloof, were designated as runners-up in three of the seven categories, namely Ecological Management, Base Environmental Management as well as Environmental Education and Training.

You, as we already are, can be very proud of your unique achievements. It was also a first for 5 Special Forces Regiment and having reached the final stages of the Environmental Education and Training competition is an achievement in itself.

I urge every one of you to take up the challenge to ensure that the current degree of performance that we celebrate here today increases with leaps and bounds.

In addition, I would also like to mention the runner-up in the individual award. Captain Rodrick Jeffery of General Support Base Oudtshoorn has contributed substantially to Environmental Services in the department through groundbreaking pioneer work in the field of integrated environmental management at his base.

Congratulations to him and his Officer Commanding for this outstanding achievement.

I would like to express a word of thanks to those who have contributed in making this occasion special. To the sponsor organisations and the national adjudicators, our gratitude for devoting your time and support to the department's annual environmental award programme.

Without your specialist advice and continued support over the years, the achievements observed here today, as well as this event to recognise these achievements would not be possible.

A special word of appreciation to our hosts, the South African Air Force. To Chief of the Air Force, Lt Gen Roelf Beukes, as well as the Officer Commanding Air Force Base Waterkloof, Brigadier General Rod Penhall, and his staff, thank you for welcoming us to your unit and for the hospitality bestowed upon us today.

I thank you.

Issued by: SANDF, 8 June 2001